Universal golf club



March 17. 1925.

J. A. MARTIN UNIVERSAL GOLF CLUB Filed Jan. 14, 1924 lliVEHTOR,

JOHN A. MARTlP-l,

Attorney.

Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN A. MARTIN, 0F INDIANAPOLIS l, INDIANA.

, UNIVERSAL GOLF CLUB.

Application filed January 14, 1924. Serial no. 686,009.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN A. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at In dianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new. and useful Universal Golf Club, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is so to form a golf club as to make it equally suitable for a driving iron or cleek, midiron, mashie, mashie-niblick, niblick, and putter, such that the golfer may make any play desired, with one club, by changing the club-head angle, and at the same time, to be so constructed as to retain practically the same weight and balance as the ordinary non-adjustable golf-club, thereby roducing an adjustable club that 'is practicaFfor making all iron shots. g My club eliminates the necessity of having to carry more than theone club around the course, and by the means that I employ, to provide a varying angle of the club-head, I am able to bring the resultant center of mass of the head approximately on the line of the club shaft axis, at a point on the club face which is the normal point of contact 1 with the golf ball when struck. In devising this structure, I obtain a balance of the a club that practically eliminates the otherwise usual tor ue about the club shaft from being set up w en the ball is struck. Heretofore, the golfer has had to estimate the robable torque and make compensation for 1t by a rigid grip on the shaft.

A further object of my invention is to provide indicating means whereby the head may be set to give any predetermined angle.

of loft. A golfer learns by, experience in judging thelay of his ball whether his shot requires, for an example, a mashie or a niblick, and, having made practically the same shot before, he can set the head of my club to exactly the same angle of loft as he used previously for the same shot, and he can make such an adjustment as quickly and as easily as to carry the extra. clubs about and select the proper one for the particular shot. There is sufficient weight concentrated and balance in the resultant club-head to make my club a good practical driving iron, and

Like characters of reference indicate like I parts throughout the several views.

The adjusting plate 5 is approximately triangular shaped and is ri idly attached near its top edge- (this edge eing the base of the triangle) to the shaft 6 withits face at an angle approximating thirty degrees and tilted back to bring the front edge a, Fig. 2, parallel to the axis of theshaft 6.

The relative position, of the plate 5 on the shaft 6 ma be varied to suit the individual, although the above described position will meet all average requirements.

I form a shank 7 on a head 8, which head conforms in contour and general dimensions to the usual head employed in the customary niblick or putter. The shank 7 is sufficiently wide to .provide substantial contact with the adjusting plate 5, and is provided with a lower pivot stud 16 about which the entire head 8 pivots inthe hole 9 in the plate 5. A.

ceiltral screw threaded stud 10 extends from the shank 7 and through the annular slot 11 which has the hole 9 as its center of curvaturec From the upper end of'the shank 7 a positioning pin 12 projects into one of a series of holes 13 located on an arc with the hole" 9 as its center. The head 8 is held in firm contact with the plate 5 by. means of a wing nut 14 screwed down on the stud 10 to compress the two washers 15 against the plate 5. 7 I v To change the angle of the head 8, the wing nut 14 is backed off on the stud 10 sufficiently ,to permit the head 8 and its shank 7 to be relieved from contacting the plate 5 such that the pin 12 is disengaged from the hole 13. The head 8 may then be rotated about its pivot lug 16 in the hole 9, to the desired angle at which position the head 8 may be pressed toward the plate 5 to position the pin 12 in the corresponding new hole 13. The wing nut 14 is than drawn up tightly to secure this position. In the form I have here shown, it is my intention to take the drive through the pivot lug 16 and the friction of the shank 7 on the plate 5 produced by the wing nut 14 rather than through the pin 12, on account of possible danger of shearing off the pin 12.

By observation of the number of holes 13 from the edge in one setting of the head, a corresponding angle of the head may be again secured at will.

While I have here shown my invention in the form now best known to me, I desire to point out that it is capable of structural variations without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not desire to be limited to the precise form as shown any more than may be requircd by the followmg cla ms.

claim: p 1. In a universal golf club, in combination, a shaft, an adjusting plate on said shaft having aface at an approximate angle of thirty degrees to the shaft, a detachable head pivoted to the lower endof the plate and having means for engaging the plate in a plurality of positions of said plate, said means being in an arc concentric with the pivotal connection between the head and plate, and means located between the pivot and the coning the head to the plate. J

2. In a universal golf club,in combination, a shaft, an approximately triangular shaped adjustin plate on said shaft having its apex depen ed downward and its face at an approximate angle of thirty degrees and one edge parallel to the axis of said shaft, said adjusting plate having a pivot hole near its apex, an annular slot and a plurality of positioning holes centered on an arc concentric with the pivot hole; a detachable head; a shank extending upward from said head; a pivot lug on the shank; a positioning pin on the shank; a threaded lug on the shank; a nut adapted to screw on said threaded lug.

Signed at Indianapolis, in the 'county of Marion. and State of Indiana, this 31st dayof December, 1923. p

' JOHN A. MARTIN.

30 centric series of engaging means for secur- 

